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Press release from the BDA – judging from my anecdotal evidence £60K is a modest estimate. I know it’s the same in every other country in the world but what are the new graduates faced with on graduation? The nightmare of FD1 selection. Having to jump through NHS hoops thus reducing their abilities to earn sufficiently to start clawing back the mountain of debt.

When will we accept that the system is a mess? Successive governments for the sake of political dogma have messed things about. This is yet another facet of broken health and education systems that have evolved without thought or consideration for the young people who are being crushed within them, as long as some party spokesperson can stand up in the run in to the next election and peddle the lie that “the NHS is safe in our hands”.

Starts here:

PR06.14 19 February 2014

BDA warns that dental degree students face study-related debts up to £60,000

Dental students who started their degree in 2013-14 face the prospect of staggering levels of debt, in the region of £60,000, a new study suggests.

The research into study-related debt carried out by the British Dental Association (BDA) also found that students who sat their final-year exams in 2012-13 had an average debt of £24,734 at the end of their studies. Around half of all these said they had experienced financial difficulties during their degrees, which some linked to a shortfall in mainstream funding available to them in their final year.

In addition to £9,000 a-year tuition fees, students finishing their degree in 2018-19 could face a shortfall of at least £38,000 in maintenance funding over their five-year course.

Chair of the BDA’s Student Committee, Dr Paul Blaylock, said:

“Student debt is a growing concern in dentistry, which is likely to get worse with the introduction of £9,000 tuition fees.

“Those who struggle to make ends meet also have to put up with inadequate maintenance loans.

“The BDA believes that maintenance loans could be increased to ease the financial pressures for dental students.

“It’s important that those who come from less affluent backgrounds are not deterred from taking up dentistry – all of the best, brightest and most caring candidates should be able to join the profession.”

The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association for dentists in the UK. It represents dentists working in general practice, in community and hospital settings, in academia and research, and in the armed forces, and includes dental students.